Abstract
This paper extends from our previous results which suggest that fastening and joining methods preferred for assembly and scrap-material recycling do not necessarily facilitate remanufacture. We identify, through collaboration with three remanufacturing companies, primary factors that determine the life-cycle fastening and joining cost of products that are remanufactured. These factors, that also determine life-cycle joint reliability, are the fastening or joining method specified during design, the disassembly and reassembly method used during remanufacture, and the repair policy. A reliability model was applied to describe the failure characteristics of the joint so that part failure and replacement costs can be estimated over a specified length of product service. We then present an illustrative sample search space and the resulting life-cycle costs. A larger search space would require the use of optimization methods to minimize life-cycle costs. The fastening and joining plan, consisting of the above three factors, is represented for genetic algorithm optimization to be used on larger search spaces in the future.
